The Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market suffered its first decline in four days as it started out the new month on a negative footing on Monday, with the volume of stocks traded declining 62 percent and the value 47 percent lower than on Friday and leading to trading in 56 securities compared with 55 on Friday and ended, with 19 rising, 24 declining and 13 ending unchanged.
A total of 9,586,592 shares were traded for $132,203,147 down from 25,472,457 units at $247,227,632 on Friday.
Trading averaged 171,189 shares at $2,360,770 compared with 463,136 stock units at $4,495,048 on Friday. June closed with an average of 366,795 stock units at $6,952,581, including trading in the Corporate Bond section.
Transjamaican Highway led trading with 3.97 million shares with 41.4 percent of total volume, followed by Eppley Caribbean Property Fund with 1.22 million stock units for 12.8 percent of the day’s trade and Wigton Windfarm with 983,613 units for 10.3 percent market share.
The All Jamaican Composite Index dived 3,768.45 points to 366,805.48, the JSE Main Index dropped 2,896.62 points to 329,138.31 and the JSE Financial Index fell 1.06 points to settle at 71.89.
The PE Ratio, a formula used to compute appropriate stock values, averages 13.6 for the Main Market. The JSE 
Main and USD Market PE ratios are based on the last traded prices and earnings forecasts by ICInsider.com for companies with the financial year ending up to August 2024.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows eight stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
At the close, Barita Investments rose 91 cents in closing at $75 after an exchange of 53,075 shares, Caribbean Cement climbed $1 to $59, with 1,505 units changing hands, Eppley Caribbean Property Fund rallied $1.05 to close at $43 after 1,223,210 stocks passed through the market, First Rock Real Estate dropped $1.19 and ended at a 52 weeks’ low of $9.07 in trading 22,157 stock units. GraceKennedy dipped $1 to $78 with stakeholders exchanging 179,610 shares, Jamaica Broilers climbed $1 in closing at $36, with an exchange of 15,933 stock units, Jamaica Stock Exchange popped 57 cents and ended at $12.10, with 19,890 stocks crossing the market, JMMB Group declined $1 to end at $32 in switching ownership of 22,750 units. Mayberry Investments lost 58 cents to close at $8.50 after an exchange of 1,391 shares, 
NCB Financial traded 319,722 shares and lost 5 cents in closing at a 52 weeks’ low of $65.95, Pan Jamaica fell 89 cents to close at $53 as investors traded 67,386 units. Proven Investments shed $2.77 to end at $23.03 after an exchange of 2,213 stock units, Sagicor Group declined $1 to close at $48 with a transfer of 68,657 stocks, Scotia Group increased 50 cents to $34.50, with 25,150 units crossing the market. Seprod gained $1.22 to end at $78.22 while investors traded 30,940 shares, Supreme Ventures fell $1.55 to $29.45 with a transfer of 265,619 stocks, Sygnus Credit Investments rallied 32 cents to close at $12.98 after 45,666 stock units crossed the exchange and Sygnus Real Estate Finance dipped $1.15 to $11 trading 1,100 shares.
In the preference segment, Jamaica Public Service 7% shed $9.50 and ended at $57.50 in an exchange of 224 stock units, JMMB Group 7% preference share fell 38 cents to $2 with 657 units changing hands and 138 Student Living preference share advanced $3 in closing at $88 with shareholders swapping 18 stocks.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Archives for July 2023
Junior Market slips in greeting July
Trading closed on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Monday, with the volume of stocks traded declining 41 percent with a flat value compared with Friday after trading in 45 securities compared with 46 on Friday and ended with prices of 16 rising, 22 declining and seven closing unchanged.
Investors traded 13,791,073 shares at $60,175,455 versus 23,247,331 units at $60,143,836 on Friday.
Trading averaged 306,468 shares at $1,337,232 compared to 505,377 units at $1,307,475 on Friday. Trading in June closed with an average of 319,230 units at $854,456.
Future Energy Source led trading with 6.24 million shares for 45.3 percent of total volume followed by Dolla Financial with 2.25 million units for 16.3 percent of the day’s trade and JFP Ltd with 758,578 units for 5.5 percent market share.
At the close, the Junior Market Index lost 15.27 points to start off July at 3,968.96.
The PE Ratio, a measure of computing appropriate stock values, averages 11.5. The PE ratios of Junior Market stocks are computed using the last traded price along with projected earnings by ICInsider.com for the financial years ending between November 2023 and August 2024.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows five stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
At the close, Access Financial declined $3.43 to close at $22.55 with investors transferring 317 shares, Blue Power rose 13 cents to $3.25 in an exchange of 13,162 units, Cargo Handlers climbed $2.40 and ended at $21.40 with 6,096 stocks changing hands. Caribbean Assurance Brokers fell 21 cents in closing at $3.09 with a transfer of 132,532 stocks, Caribbean Cream dipped 20 cents to end at $4.50, with 554 stock units passing through the exchange, Dolphin Cove dropped 25 cents to $16.65 with investors trading 2,927 stocks. EduFocal shed 14 cents to close at $1.65 after an exchange of 131,055 units, Fontana rallied $1.06 to end at a 52 week’s closing high of $12, after hitting an intraday high of $13 in switching ownership of 333,863 shares, Fosrich lost 10 cents in closing at $2.20 and closed with an exchange of 274,872 units. Future Energy Source shed 25 cents to end at $3.80, with 6,243,053 stocks clearing the market, General Accident lost 14 cents to end at $4.86 while exchanging 31,712 shares, 
Honey Bun dropped 45 cents to close at $6.15, with 12,277 stock units crossing the exchange. Indies Pharma fell 23 cents to $3.30 after 636,554 stocks passed through the market, Iron Rock Insurance increased 25 cents to $2.75 with stakeholders exchanging 53 units, ISP Finance climbed $2.96 in closing at $25 after a transfer of 24,112 stocks. JFP Ltd dipped 17 cents to $1.63 in trading 758,578 shares, Lasco Manufacturing popped 18 cents to close at $4.70 with shareholders swapping 18,490 stocks, Main Event gained 50 cents to close at a record high of $17.50 after 3,637 units were exchanged. Medical Disposables dipped 11 cents to $5.89 with an exchange of 63 shares, ONE on ONE Educational slipped 11 cents to end at $1.11 as investors exchanged 271,010 stock units, Regency Petroleum fell 22 cents in closing at $2.70, with 390,048 units crossing the market. 
Spur Tree Spices lost 32 cents to close at $2.23 after hitting an intraday 52 weeks’ low of $2.07 with 657,597 stock units crossing the market, Stationery and Office Supplies gained $4.52 to end at $28, with stakeholders exchanging 665,932 shares and tTech declined 15 cents to $2.10 in trading 249 stocks.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
JSE markets fall in welcoming July
All three markets on Jamaica Stock Exchange closed lower on Monday, but the Junior Market made solid gains throughout the trading session after it opened down to just over 3,909 points within minutes of opening, thanks to a big jump in the prices of Fontana and Stationery and Office Supplies, the market index ended much higher at the close, but the Main and the USD Market suffered sharp reversal to Friday’s close.
At the close, the JSE Combined Market Index dropped 2,842.58 points to close at 343,439.95, the All Jamaican Composite Index dived 3,768.45 points to 366,805.48, the JSE Main Index declined 2,896.62 points to finish at 329,138.31. The Junior Market Index lost 15.27 points to close at 3,968.96. The JSE USD Market Index fell 7.39 points to close at 249.01.
Preference shares with notable price movements but not in the Main Market TOP10 graphs are Jamaica Public Service 7% shed $9.50 and ended at $57.50 and 138 Student Living preference share advanced $3 in closing at $88.
At the close, investors exchanged 24,673,817 shares, in all three markets, down sharply from 48,899,684 stocks on Friday. The value of stocks trading in the Junior and Main markets was $192.4 million, down from $307.37 million on Friday. Trading on the JSE USD market ended with investors exchanging 1,296,152 shares for US$10,636 down from 179,896 units at US$10,636 on Friday.
The market’s PE ratio ended at 18.8 on 2022-23 earnings and 12.8 times those for 2023-24 at the close of trading. Investors need pertinent information to successfully navigate numerous investment options in the local stock market. The ICInsider.com PE ratio chart and the more detailed daily report charts provide investors with regularly updated information to help decision-making.
Investors should use the chart to help make rational decisions when investing in stocks close to the average for the sector and not going too far from it unless there are compelling reasons to do so. This approach helps to remove emotions from investment decisions and put in on fundamentals while at the same time not being too far from the majority of investors. Investors who buy when the price of a stock is close to the average will find that they are not inclined to overpay for a stock.
The ICInsider.com PE ratio chart covers all ordinary shares on the Jamaica Stock Exchange and shows companies grouped per industry, allowing easy comparisons between the same sector companies and the overall market.
The net asset value of each company is reported as a guide to assess the value of stocks based on this measure quickly. The chart also shows daily changes in stock prices and the percentage year to date price movement based on the last traded prices.
Dividends paid or payable and yields for each company are shown in the Main and Junior Markets’ daily report charts along with the closing volume pertaining to the highest bid and the lowest offer for each company.
The EPS & PE ratios are based on 2021 and 2022 actual or projected earnings, excluding major one off items. The PE Ratio is the most popular measure used to determine the value of stocks.
Trading dropped on Trinidad & Tobago Exchange
Trading dropped sharply on the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange on Monday, with the volume of stocks traded declining 87 percent with the value 35 percent lower than on Friday resulting in 19 securities trading compared with 21 on Friday, with prices of five stocks rising four declining and 10
remaining unchanged.
Investors exchanged 85,439 shares for $1,465,235 versus 667,210 stock units at $2,237,651 on Friday.
Trading averaged 4,497 shares for $77,118 compared to 31,772 units at $106,555 on Friday. The average trade for June ended at 23,515 shares for $224,325.
The Composite Index climbed 10.91 points to 1,227.27, the All T&T Index lost 1.52 points to end at 1,868.47, the SME Index remained at 70.13 and the Cross-Listed Index rose 3.39 points to end at 75.72.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows two stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
At the close, Agostini’s remained at $68.50 and closed with 144 shares being traded, Angostura Holdings ended at $23 after a transfer of 222 stocks, Ansa McAl declined 30 cents to $50.70 in switching ownership of 7,232 units. 
First Citizens Group ended at $48 after 12,241 stocks crossed the market, FirstCaribbean International Bank ended at $7.05 with investors trading 1,697 units, GraceKennedy rose 5 cents to $3.45 after an exchange of 15,631 shares. Guardian Holdings remained at $17.25 in trading 1,883 stocks, JMMB Group increased 5 cents in closing at $1.40 with 10,000 stock units crossing the market, Massy Holdings ended at $4.85 while exchanging 17,564 units. National Enterprises advanced 19 cents to close at $3.75 with 70 shares crossing the exchange, NCB Financial gained 40 cents to end at $3.10 as stakeholders exchanged 3,849 stock units, Point Lisas remained at $3.30 as investors traded 869 stocks. Prestige Holdings ended at $8 with investors transferring 76 shares, 
Republic Financial fell 6 cents and closed at a 52 weeks’ low of $127.35 with 559 units being swapped, Scotiabank dropped 7 cents in closing at $75.55 in trading 890 stocks. Trinidad & Tobago NGL remained at $18 in an exchange of 5,430 stock units, Trinidad Cement popped 3 cents to end at $2.65 with 4,000 shares changing hands, Unilever Caribbean ended at $12 after exchanging 582 stocks and West Indian Tobacco shed 1 cent to $12 after 2,500 stock units were traded.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Big gains for ICTOP10 stocks
Movement in the Junior Market this past week just about wiped out all of 2023 losses and resulted in most ICITOP10 stocks rising, with four recording double digit gains as the Junior Market consolidates around the 3,900 points level before breaking into the 4,000 points level. The Main Market enjoyed five out of 6 days of gains since the previous Friday and delivered four stocks with double digit gains.
Gains for the Junior Market this week occurred even as the price of Stationery and Office Supplies dropped $4.52 from $28 to $23.48 on Friday and former Caribbean Assurance Brokers ICTOP10 stock that fell out of the top tier the prior week pulled back in price to close at $3.30 from $4 as sellers offered stocks for sale below $4, with still more selling at the close of the week. History points to many investors buying into stocks after the split takes effect, usually at far higher prices than if they bought before, as such, it would not be surprising that investors will push the stock to a record valuation post-split. Accordingly, the stock now selling at a PE of 12.4 times current year’s earnings is a compelling buy at Friday’s price of $23.48.
The Junior Market ended the week with eight stocks rising and one declining, with Iron Rock Insurance the top stock, with a gain of 30 percent, followed by iCreate, up 21 percent to $1.10, and Caribbean Cream, up 18% to $4.70, but the company will be benefitting from lower input cost of some raw material, especially the price of milk solids that have fallen sharply by about 33 percent from peak prices last year March, Consolidated Bakeries popped 15% to end the week at $2.51, with very few stock offered for sale in the market at the close. The gains in Consolidated Bakeries propelled it out of the TOP10 and replaced by Edufocal, while OneonOne seems to be coming into its own with a rise of 9 percent to $1.22. In comparison, Dolphin Cove rose 6 percent to $16.90 but seems to have a seller with an undisclosed amount at that price. Dolla Financial is the only loser, with a decline of 4 percent to $2.25.
The Main Market had Caribbean Producers (CPJ) rising 15 percent to $10.95, JMMB Group climbing 14 percent to $33, with Berger Paints and Transjamaican gaining 11 percent each to close at $8.11 and a record close of $2.48, respectively. Guardian Holdings was the only declining stock, falling 7 percent to $420.
It is worth noting that Transjamaican US dollar denominated stock traded at 1.93 cents or almost $3 per share on Friday, putting well ahead of the local based issue at $2.48. The gap will close sooner or later, the question will the Jamaican dollar based stock move up to the $3 level or the US based one fall back to match the Jamaican dollar one. There is minimal selling in the US dollar market and much more in the Jamaican market.
CPJ sits at the number 10 position in the Main Market TOP 10, but it has a June year end, with the changeover to earnings per share for the 2023/4 fiscal year of $2.50 by August that will change the outlook for the price markedly above the current level, with the PE ratio at just 4.4.
At the end of the week, the average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 is 6.3, well below the market average of 13.7. The Main Market TOP10 is projected to have an average of 242 percent, to May 2024, based on 2023 forecasted earnings.
The 15 most highly valued Main Market stocks are priced at a PE of 15 to 110, with an average of 29 and 20 excluding the highest PE stocks, 24 for the top half and 19 excluding the stocks with the highest PEs.
The Junior Market Top 10 PE sits at 5.8 compared with the market at 11.7. There are 11 stocks representing 23 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 44, averaging 21, well above the market’s average. The top half of the market has an average PE of 17, possibly the lowest fair value for Junior Market stocks currently. Junior Market is projected to rise by 245 percent to May 2024.
The divergence between the average PE ratio of the Main and Junior Markets and the overall market valuation are important indicators of the likely gains for ICTOP10 stocks.
In the market generally, Investors continue to nibble away at a number of stocks and, in the process, gradually reduce the supply of several stocks that are attractively priced as the market moves toward the summer months, the start of the stock market year.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners. Accordingly, the list includes some of the best companies in the market but not always. ICInsider.com ranks stocks based on projected earnings, allowing investors to focus on the most undervalued stocks and helping to remove emotions in selecting stocks for investments that often result in costly mistakes.
IC TOP10 stocks will likely deliver the best returns up to the end of May 2024 and are ranked in order of potential gains, computed using projected earnings for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate, resulting in weekly movements in and out of the lists. Revisions to earnings are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.
Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.
Junior Market stocks dominate half year
At the midway point in the year, the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market is down 7 percent, with the Financial Index down a much larger 15 percent, but the Junior Market is flat, as the JSE delivered 35 price gains for the ordinary shares and 59 losses as Junior Market stocks dominated the top positions for the first half of 2023.
Expectations are that the Junior Market will continue its upward movement in the second half of the year with technical indicators pointing to a big upward push in the market. The market gained 75 percent the last time these indicators flashed a buy signal.
The Main Market remains under some selling pressure and is not signalling a sustained rally in the short term. But June is never the month of recovery for that market following sell in May and go away. July is the month that is historically the period in the past the Main Market usually starts to rally and sometimes as late as August fueled by mid year results that will mostly be in by the middle of August.
There are only two Main Market stocks in the TOP10 with Transjamaican heads Stocks to Watch coming on top for that market with a 77 percent gain, year to date, with it being the second highest performer for the overall market for the year so far. Ciboney is up 59 percent and the fifth highest performer, and the second best Main market stock, thanks partially to a change in the majority ownership to IEC Energy Company Ltd, with the new directors being Nigel Davy, Jennifer Davy, Klyle Davy, Wycliffe Cameron Conley Salmon Donald Patterson and Wayne Wray.
The top performing stock is Main Event with a rise of 89 percent, with more gains expected with the PE ratio of just 10 times this year’s earnings, while Stationery and Office Supplies doubled after an announcement to consider a stock split at a directors meeting on June 21 ended with a gain of 37 percent for the half year as the price pulled back after the directors announced a recommendation for a 9 for 1 split to be voted on at the company’s AGM on July 25.
The Junior Market has the majority of stocks, six, in the worst performer grouping, with Fosrich being the worst with a loss of 45 percent as the price corrected sharply from an overbought position last year, followed by iCreate down 34 percent from excessive speculation from a number of announcements the company made last year.
